Background:The
purpose of this Concerted Action is to provide a link between
national programmes, pooling data and harmonising practices. With
the large amount of effort that is being devoted to the problem
of nitrogen nutrition in the potato crop, the outstanding requirement
is the development of a forum or network that will enable researchers
throughout Europe and in co-operating countries to collaborate,
exchange ideas and develop common protocols. A principal focus
of the Action will be to collectively develop methodologies to
be used, as appropriate, by producers, laboratories and policy
makers and, ultimately, to develop a definition of how decisions
should be made by growers and managers to optimise the nitrogen
nutrition of their crops.

Objectives:The
objectives are to:-
Develop means for farmers to grow potato crops in which the supply
and demand for N are in balance, so as to limit losses of N to
the environment and maintain yield levels.-
Provide a rational assessment of the value of animal manures;
thereby optimising a resource, minimising a pollution problem
and minimising the energy and other costs of mineral N. -
And, as a necessary corollary to develop means for farmers to
optimise demands on water resources by using only sufficient water
to capitalise on available N while avoiding both stress and leaching,
or by alternative procedures, including controlled drainage methods.
These
each lead to subsidiary but contributory objectives detailed in
Section 2 'Work Content'.And,
finally, as a necessity to give value to the outcome of the Action,
it will address dissemination of its work in four ways:(i)
Publish a handbook of methods to assist practitioners in the field
in the methods and procedures to use, written and produced with
the practitioner in mind.(ii)
Outline the requirements for a computerised decision support system.(iii)
Prepare plans for a Demonstration Project.(iv)
Convene a special meeting between participants, representatives
of the Commission, and National representatives of the water and/or
agricultural industries to seek ways to promulgate the findings.
The proposal aims to determine and then promote crop production
techniques which permit a reduction of inputs (and) better protection
of the environment and to develop water management models for
preserving crops when precipitation is irregular.

Current
situation/results:The
tasks of the Concerted Action have been completed. Of the deliverables,
item (I), the handbook, has been published; item (iv), the final
conference, has been held. The outline of a decision support system
will be attached to the final report, which is in preparation.
A demonstration project has been planned and will be included
in a proposed `cluster' within the Framework 5 programme.